


Mapping Out the Terrain (of your heart)

by smoothmovebro



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Day At The Beach, F/F, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Sneaky kisses, Study Group, blackmail material gathering, everyone has a different approach to taking on a geography assignment, sneaky photography
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-01-31 21:39:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12690705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoothmovebro/pseuds/smoothmovebro
Summary: The Squip Squad all have an assignment: to investigate a beach in New Jersey and write a report about it. They all decide to go to the same beach so that they can take notes and collaborate with each other for their individual reports.Not only will they know more about the terrain of the beach, they'll all know more about the terrain of each other's hearts, as cheesy as that sounds.





	Mapping Out the Terrain (of your heart)

**Author's Note:**

> written for nanowrimo 2017

Jake sends out the text to a group chat he named “GeoBuds”. He puts down Rich, Chloe, Brooke, Jenna, Jeremy, and Michael as part of the group. The text contains a link to a cloud drive folder where they can all upload their notes and photos for their geography assignment.

Their geography assignment is both easy and difficult. It’s easy in the sense that they must all write a 3-page report about a beach in New Jersey. The difficulty lies in the assignment’s ambiguity. What are they supposed to talk about? Do they expect pictures of evidence supporting their claims in the report? Mr. Ward has a bad habit of being vague in the assignments he gives out. All he needed was 3 pages, 5 pictures, and at least 3 references cited at the end. That left much room for interpretation on the details.

As soon as he sees that everyone has read the message and accessed the cloud drive, Jake proposes an idea to the group chat.

> _What if we all went to the same beach and based our reports off there?_

He gets two thumbs up reacts from Michael and Jenna, while the rest of the group sends out messages of their approval. They all make plans as to which beach to go to and when they’ll meet up. They all settle on one that is a short drive from Middleborough but isn’t too far. Jake takes a screenshot of their finalised plan and uploads it to the folder so they can all see.

A few days before their study group meetup at the beach, he gets a direct message from Rich.

> _wtf we had an ASSIGNMENT?!?! since when?!_

Jake now sees that Rich has just seen all their messages and is the last on the list to access the cloud drive. He texts back his reply.

> _Yeah, we’re all meeting up real soon. Check the screenshot on the cloud drive._

Rich goes offline for a few minutes, then comes back with a curt reply that is appended with a crying emoji.

> _fine, i’ll go but only bc you’re there_

On the day of the meetup, Jake picks up Rich first from his house. Rich gets in the car and Jake looks over his shoulder to glance at Rich’s outfit.

“Dude,” Jake says as he drives, “You know we’re going to the beach, right? We might have to wade in the water.”

Rich looks down on himself. “What’s wrong with my pants?”

Jake shakes his head. “Nothing, I just don’t want your clothes getting soaked when you don’t have anything else with you.”

Rich crosses his arms and leans back in his seat. “I’m staying _well away_ from the water, thanks.” He shudders. “The sea kinda terrifies me.”

“I didn’t know that.”

Rich looks out the window and mutters. “You never asked.”

Jake sees Rich gazing out the window with a contemplative look on his face through the rear view mirror. His heart jumps a little at how different he looks. How Rich looks… vulnerable when left alone with his thoughts.

He picks up Brooke and Chloe next, who are wearing airy and flowy outfits while toting polaroid cameras. “For the more fun moments,” Chloe says. Brooke nods but sneaks a furtive glance at Chloe, looking wistful and longing. Rich makes room for them in the backseat and he asks them about their interpretation of the assignment.

“I’ll probably ask around and interview the people in charge of taking care of the beach. You know, to link back that thing Mr. Ward talked about with erosion and stuff,” Brooke says.

“I’m thinking we’re trying to boost the tourism for beaches in New Jersey,” Chloe says. “This state is in desperate need of a makeover.” Rich nods at the girls’ input and stows away their ideas so he can take bits and make it his own.

They all arrive at Christine’s place and they wait for her to come out. Jake receives a text that she’ll need the boot of Jake’s van to put her stuff. Rich gets out of the van and opens the rear. He sees Christine emerge from her house.

The girl is carrying bags upon bags of mats, towels, and snacks. She’s also balancing her geography notebook and several small vials. “For samples,” she says as she loads her things. Rich feels the pang of inadequacy at her preparedness.

“You really brought a lot of stuff,” he says. Christine shrugs.

“I’d rather too much than too little, you know?” she says. She gets in the van and seats herself in the second row of passenger seats. Jake’s phone pings and he sees a text from Jenna saying that she’s already at the beach and she’ll meet them there.

“I guess it’s the boyfs left,” Jake says as he starts up the engine.

“Boyfs?” Chloe asks. Rich snickers.

“Boyfriends,” Rich says. “I wrote on Jeremy and Michael’s backpacks so that it spells out boyfriends if you put them beside each other.”

“They do seem to be awfully close, don’t they?” Christine says.

“Yeah,” Rich says. “Which makes it even funnier that they aren’t dating yet.”

“I’m betting ten bucks that they’ll ask each other out tomorrow,” Chloe says. Brooke’s eyes widen at Chloe, surprised at her confidence.

Rich smirks. “I’m betting _twenty_ that they’ll ask each other out by sunset.”

Jake pulls up in front of the Heere residence and he sees Michael and Jeremy approach the car. The newcomers catch the last of the bet being settled.

“And now we see the money,” Chloe says.

“Let the games begin,” Rich replies.

“What game?” Jeremy asks.

“Are you two betting on something?” Michael adds.

Brooke and Christine snicker at the boys’ questions. “Something like that,” Brooke answers.

Jeremy and Michael look at each in confusion, then shrug.

They all drive to the beach, where they meet Jenna. She’s already set up a massive umbrella for their spot and laid down her towel. She stands up and meets them halfway.

Rich and Christine struggle to keep up with the group, what with Rich being the only one offering to help carry Christine’s multitude of bags.

“Y’all are a real big help,” Rich huffs as he puts down the last of the bags. He takes off his flannel, revealing the tie dye shirt with the grinning eye on it. Jake stares at Rich’s arms for a second too long before clapping his hands and addressing the group.

“Great to have you all here! I’ll just stay here, you know, keep the fort. Then everyone else can,” he makes a sweeping gesture away from himself, “go do their thing.”

Jeremy pipes up. “Wait, you’re just gonna stay here and do nothing?”

Jake scoffs. “Who was the one who picked you all up? Who was the one who set up the group chat _and_ the cloud drive?” He points to himself. “I think I deserve a break here, in my opinion. Don’t worry, I’ve done my research and I’ll just mooch off the pictures you take.”

Jeremy sighs and he beckons for Michael to follow him. “You take photos, I take notes,” he says. Michael jogs to catch up with Jeremy and the two engage in their own conversation about the assignment. Christine follows, overhearing them sharing ideas and pitching in her own feedback once in a while. The three then walk side by side and search for spots that are helpful for their reports.

“I already know what I want to do,” Chloe says, standing up. “So I’ll just go and take some photos.” Brooke follows Chloe, muttering about doing the same.

Chloe finds a spot by the waves and kneels down to capture the tide lapping onto the shore. She peers into her polaroid camera, waiting for the right moment. She turns and tweaks a few knobs before gripping the camera with steady hands. Just before the wave hits the shore, she squeezes the shutter button, then grins to herself.

Brooke, on the other hand, also finds a spot by the waves. However, she’s not looking to take a photo of the water. In fact, her view finder is all focused at Chloe. The wind blowing through her hair, the determination in her posture, the camera poised in front of her face.

Brooke’s finger presses on the shutter button and she flinches as the camera prints out the photo. She takes it out and shakes it, away from everyone’s view. Finally, the colours and shades become clear, revealing her work.

Chloe looks like one of those photos on Instagram where the models’ faces are obscured and it makes the picture feel that much more intimate. Not knowing who exactly is behind the camera lets the viewer project themselves onto the model. It could be anyone; themselves, a friend, a lover…

_A lover…_

Brooke finds her hands getting sweaty and she lets her camera hang by her side. She walks further down the coast, taking in the view and snapping a photo or two for her report. She smiles when a cool breeze hits her face and makes her heart feel a little bit lighter, even just for a moment.

Jenna laughs to herself as she takes candid photos of Brooke taking photos of Chloe taking photos. _More blackmail material_. She looks around and focuses her phone camera on Michael and Jeremy like she’s birdwatching.

Jeremy seats himself on a flat rock and Michael is a few paces further, taking close-up photos of the sand and some trash he found. Christine takes a vial from her bag and scoops some sand into it. The two come to Jeremy and present him their pieces of evidence. Jeremy peers at the vial, then writes in his notebook. He squints at Michael’s photo.

“Your photos are unfocused. I can’t see shit,” he says.

“So can’t I!” Michael retorts. “I hate forgetting my contacts,” he mutters. He rubs at his eyes and squints around the beach. He groans. “I’m sorry I’m not of any use. Stupid eyes…”

Michael sits beside Jeremy on the flat rock, deflated. Jeremy peers at Michael and taps on his shoulder.

“Hey, look at me,” Jeremy says, urging Michael by tipping up his chin.

“You’re not useless. Not ever. Not when you come to mean so much to me in the past twelve years.”

Michael can barely make out Jeremy’s features. The curve of his jaw, the shade of his lips, the way his hair swoops in the wind. The salty air and the sound of the waves lapping at the shore lull Michael into a mellow mood. He feels his body relax and his heart become free,

 _Fuck it,_ Michael thinks. _I can blame it on shitty eyesight._

Michael cups Jeremy’s face in his hands and leans in to kiss him. It’s warm and insistent and soft, and the lingering sensation after he pulls away leaves them both breathless. He hears some shuffling in the sand close by and he looks over to squint at a grey-green shape.

“I told you, Chloe!” he hears Rich shout. “You owe me ten bucks!”

Jeremy looks at Michael. “Did they just bet on us making out?”

“Pretty much, tallasses,” Rich says, approaching them. “You two are sooo gay I’m surprised you’re not puking rainbows at this point.” He notices Michael’s lack of glasses. “How many fingers am I holding up?”

Despite his vision being unfocused, he imitates the middle finger Rich is putting up and the other boy laughs. “Glad you still have a sense of humor, headphones,” he says, walking away. “Thanks for making me ten bucks wealthier!”

He holds out his hand for Chloe to fork over the cash. He laughs to himself as he goes back to the umbrella and sits beside Jake, who is laying down, probably asleep.

Rich looks around the beach. Christine is off searching for samples, the boyfs are too busy being gay, and Brooke and Chloe are probably taking selfies by a quaint coffee shop. He looks even further out and finds that Jenna is nowhere to be seen.

A perfect opportunity.

Rich settles down beside Jake, laying on his side and looking at the other boy’s sleeping face. He looks peaceful, Rich thinks. Jake probably escapes the pressure of being the best at everything all the time in his sleep. It’s so sad that he’s not getting much of that lately, what with his extra curriculars demanding so much from him for so long.

Rich wishes that Jake could find the reprieve he needs even while awake. He blames the beach for his next actions, but deep down he knows that it’s just an excuse.

Rich leans close to Jake’s face and caresses his cheek. Jake leans into the touch and Rich takes the opportunity to inch closer and press his lips against Jake’s. He cups the other boy’s cheek and smooths his hand down his neck.

He gets taken by surprise when Jake wraps his arms around Rich’s shoulders and rolls them over so that Jake is on top, returning the favour and leading the kiss.

They don’t even pay attention to the flash sound Jenna’s phone makes as she snaps a photo of them making out.

**Author's Note:**

> is it bad that i like to write my favorite characters in situations that all work out? i just want them to be happy T~T


End file.
